Hard Beer

Stroh’s Brewery was looking to create a competitor to Mickey’s Wide Mouth, a strong beer with a large bottle opening. Of the broad spectrum of beer choices, these consumers preferred a beer on the opposite end of light beer. They want a beer that works.
Many names were generated that conveyed strength and power. Calling it a “hard beer” seemed to do the job. Brand names like “Anvil” and “Iron Head” added to the personality.
Many shapes and sizes were considered. Instinctively, the bottle should feel you are holding a beer with more to it. It should be wider, so it felt bigger in your hand. It should be shorter, so it didn’t seem like you were consuming a larger quantity—like a 40 ounce bottle. The final size of the bottle felt confident and powerful in your hand.
The shapes were inspired by early 2- and 3-piece beer cans sealed with bottle caps—before pull-tabs were created. Details from machine tools added some blue collar familiarity and distinction.
Hard beer would never be confused with an ordinary beer.